Flexible apron loop drier



Dec. 12, 1933. .1. ROBERTS FLEXIBLE APRON LOOP DRIER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 25, 1930 Dec. 12, 1933. J RQBERTS 1,939,523

FLEXIBLE APRON LOOP DRIER Filed March '25, 1950 3 Shqets-Sheet 2 4 H I 2:3 I: I: :1: ZZZ-.1

/a f /8 :tm-f I /7 Ruemzm Dec. 12, 1933. J ROBERTS FLEXIBLE APRON LOOP DRIER Filed March 25, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I Patented Dec.

mor narla mmu-nmupuaraeadnoeu warhlneorporateil'hiladel- 2 phia, Pa a eorporation ollesulylvania Application m 25,1030; eena! No. new

cau eway-12y- This invention relates to apparatus 101 drying or otherwise treating plastic materials such as paints, pigments. chemicals, etc.

. The apparatus in general issimilartto that shown and described in the (to-pending applicaticn oi Aipheus O. Hurxthal. Serial No. 370,662, iiledJune 18. 1929, inwhichthematerialtdhe' "thattheapronniaybeiormed suspended 6y theprptruding ends oi. the girts resting on relatively slow moving-supports which ll) adjacent the opposite side edges or pron.- v

The protruding ends of the girts also-provide meanehywhich the conveyeris advanced through a pair of drive chains being reflspectivelydispoeedadiacenttheoppositelydieposed side edgel oi the conveyor, at one place only in the apparatus. 'Theee drivechain's are provided with lu s which came the said projecting ends 0! the girts-and travel with the conengaged by the drivelugs at any one, tim there-- fore. the whole oi the driving force the entire conveyor w- I! paratus is-oi'neoe-ity taken by the relatively edbythedrivechain portion oi the follows elevationeiadryingapparatusahowingmvinl lflieaaeetional I6 elevationtahnm theiine.i- -I.HI.1;

'ing inloopeon'theinovingmpports; and

are the tendency to place that Y high t'ensioiinvhich,

I'IgJieasectionaIpIanvieI'takenonthe v mica-8,158.1: Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional elevation showing the relationexistinghetween'the drive chains. andtheconveyerapronwhentheapronishangrigJisairaginentarysectimalelevationtaken a ioaliy illustrated at 1.

memimmm unmmm. 4,5 d0.- Onthe-oppositeendsoieachoithese shafts are secured sprockets 7,8, 9, i0 and 11 repassthrough thepasting 25.

Ai'ter the material to be treated has pressed into the (conveyer sections the conveyer p under and partly around a roller flmounted on the, shaft .3 while the side chains 12,12

' and carried by the side chains 12, 12, disposed between vertically disposed guides 28, 28'iocated in one end oi the casing 1. The girts 18 raise the sections :through this vertical plane 8.l1d*8tf the top of the casing I carry the sections around and ,over a roller- 23 mounted on the shaft .4 between the sprockets 2, 9. thereon, the side chains 12 passing over the top oi. the sprocket wheels After the leading girt 15 of an apron section passes over the top of the sprockets 9. 8; l

the outer ends of the trunnions 17', 1'! of the girt, which extends beyond the side chains 12, 12, are engaged by inclined guides 29, 29'disposed at" the opposite sidesof'the casing 1, and as the chains 12, 12 areted forward by the sprockets a, a the girt is is permitted, to slide down the inclined guides 29. 29 until the outer ends of the trunnions 17 otthegirt co'metorest on slowly moving supports 30, so disposed respectively'at opposite sides of the casing 1.

These slowly moving supports soyao in the present instances comprise sprocket chains which pass around sprockets 31, 31 mounted on atransversely extending'shatt v32 located at one and ot the casing 1 and around sprocket-s33, 33

-. mounted on a second transversely extending "sharia-1' the oppositeend or igre casingel.

Themovable supports 30? so are adapted to be driven by any suitable means-at any predetermined rate of speed .relative'to the speed oftravel otthe conveyer 15, in passing through' the mechanism 25, the relation of the speed of travel of the conveyer 15 and that of the supports 30, so determining the relative spac-- ing oi. the leading girts 16 ot; the respective apron sections 20, Won the moving supports 30, 30.

After the leading girtg18 o1 onesection 20 is disposed on the movable supports 30, 30 thebody portion oi. the conveyer section 20 and the pertion of each'side chain 12 between the leading girt IBand-thetrailinggirt 16at therearend ot the section are formed into loops 35 and 35" respectively, as clearly shown in Figs. .1 and 3, the plate 1? between the trailing end of one section and the lead end ot-th'e next ve section of the conveyer apron 20 determining the relative positionstobe theadjacentpairsotgirts 16, loan-the *m vablesupportsflmso. Y

The support chains so, sssheen in m (and 5 are provided with rollers 38 which-ride on suitablerails 37. carried by-the framework ot-the casing 1: I

Asthe supports 30, soadvanccthelooped veyer 15 and-drive chains'12, 12 through. the casing. 1, and lathe-leading section 20 on the movable supports 80, approaches the delivery end or the.-'drylng'chamber 1.11M, side chains -12, 12 or the',conveyer. passing around the sprockets 10', 10 on. the shaft 5,. draw the said side chains 12, 12 out of the leading loops the p on sectlonfaq a ound and over bet sprockets 10, 'ioth'ereon; is likewise 61:: out

emm tween the adjacent of the two Ilrts as they a roller 40 mounted on the shai't 5 theof the loop 35 which islocated in the lead on the movable supports 30, I

During the passage of the conveyer sections 20 through the casing 1 the material carried by the said sections is subjected to.a dryingor other suitable processing and is made ready to be removed from the conveyer 151 H ,Aiter massing over the roller 40 the apron 15 is ied downwardly between a pair of substantially vertically disposed guides 41 and 42, it being understood that thereis apair of guides 41, 42 adjacent each of the opposite sides oi-the casing- 1. and these, guides are so positioned "with respect to the conveyer 15 that they engage the various conveyer sections 20 inward of and immediately adjacent the longitudinal side edges 'thereof, so that as the conveyer section 20 moves downwardlyin the casing 1 it will be supported in-a substantially vertical plane. k

While in this substantially vertical position between the guides 41 and 42 the conveyer section 20 is subjected to a tapping or beating operation said conveyer section in order to beat the material 1 out of theopenings or the conveyer section, the

material falling into a suitable hopper 46 pro- 195 vided with a feed screw 47. which is adapted to remove the material iromthe casing 1.

\ Adjacent the lower end of the casing the side chains 12,12 pass the sprockets 11, 11 on the shaft 6. carrying the girt 16 around [rolleriiJ 48 mounted on the shaft 8 intermediate the sprockets 11, 11, the bodyot the apronsection 20 attached to the girt 18 around the said roller and onto a horizontally disposed partition- 50inthecas'ing1.

, .As the side chains 12, 12 movehorisontally the conveyer sections-20 are drawn-by their leading -girts -16 along the partition or iloor. 50 and return to the feed end of the apparatus, at which the shaft 2 and roller 7 are locamd;

From .the above description, itwill be"obviou s' that, by providing side or drive chains which are substantially the same'length as the conveyer apron, and'by providing irls at spaced intervals alongthe conveyer apron, and by securing the us endsotthegirtstotheside hainalalnableto f apply the driving. thrust tocthe cgnveyer at a\ number of points along its length, thereby distributing the'said driving thrust in such aman side 12. 12 whereby the conveyer apron 1.15

is -advanced through the is formed into suitable l p ,tor the or. treating the material carried by theapro'n ad is properly drawn out of the loops sothat the treated material may be readily niunoved tmmthe 143 I claim: l

1. In an apparatus: plasticmaterlals, aioraminous conveyer comprising .a portion of p ined sumcien't to: retain material in openings-extending perpendic- 1 ular to and hiwardlytrom at leastone ot the opposite faces oi the said body portion of th'e conveyer; said body portion a plurality of festooned sections, side chains adjacent toanddiscomrectedtromtheoppositesidsedgesmof laterally spacbd side chains, a plurality of inrespectively of said body portion, and grits disposed in and confined to the plane of said body portion and permanently connected to the opposite ends respectively of each section and to said side chains. 1

2. In an apparatus for treating plastic materials, a foraminous conveyer comprising a body portion of predetermined thickness sufllcient to retain material in openings extending pependicular to and inwardly from at least one of the opposite faces of the said body portion of the conveyer, said body portion comprising a plurality of restoon sections, side chains disposed adjacent to and disconnected from the opposite side edges respectively of said body portion, girts disposed in and confined to the plane of said body'portion and permanently connected to the opposite ends respectively of each section and to'said side chains, and means for driving the side chains to advance the conveyer through the apparatus as a unit.

3. In an apparatus for treating plastic materials, a foraminous conveyer comprising a body portion of predetermined thickness suflicient to retain material in openings extending perpendicular to and inwardly from at least one of the 0p-' posite races of the said body portion of the convey side chains disposed adjacent to and disconnected from the opposite side edges respectively of said body portion, girts disposed in and confined to the plane of said body portion and permanently connected to the said body portion at opposite ends of sections thereof and to said side chains, means for driving the side chains to advance the conveyer through one portion of the apparatus as a unit, and means for forming side chains and the body portion of the conveyer into loops of substantially equal lengths in another portion of the apparatus.

4. In an apparatus for treating plastic materials, a foraminous conveyer comprising a pair dividual body sections arranged in lineal end to end relation between and disconnected from said side chains along their opopsite side edges respectively, each body sectiombeing of a predetermined thickness sufficient to retain material in openings formed therein perpendicular to the plane thereof, girts extending transversely of the conveyer in and confined to the plane of said body sections and permanently secured to the opposite ends respectively of each section, and means for permanently securing the, opposite ends of each girt to the side chains respectively.

5. In an apparatus for treating plastic materials, a foraminous conveyer comprising a pair of laterally spaced side chains, a plurality of individual body sections arranged in lineal end to end relation between and disconnected from said side chains along their opposite side edges respectively, each body section being of a predetermined thickness sufficient to retain material in openings formed therein perpendicular to the plane thereof, girts extending transversely of the conveyer in and confined to the plane of said body sections and permanently secured to the oppositeends respectively of each section, a trunnion on each of the opposite ends of each girt, and a bearing for each trunnion and permanently secured to the side chains.

8. In an apparatus for treating plastic materials, a foraminous conveyer comprising a pair of laterally spaced side chains, a continuous body portion comprising a plurality of individual body sections arranged in lineal end to end longitudland means extending across the spaces between the adjacent ends of successive body-sections to complete the continuity of the body portion of the conveyer.

7. In an apparatus for treating plastic materials, a foraminous conveyer comprising a pair of laterally spaced side chains, a continuous body portion comprising a plurality of individual body sections arranged in lineal end to end longitudinally spaced relation between and disconnected from said side chains along their opposite side edges respectively, each body section being of a predetermined thickness sumcient to retain material in openings formed therein perpendicular to the plane thereof, girts extending transversely oi the conveyer in and confined to the plane of said body sections and permanently secured to the opposite ends respectively of each section, a trunnion on each 01' the opposite ends of each girt, a bearing for each trimnion and permanently secured to the side chains, and means extending across the space between each pair or adjacent relatively spaced girts and pivoted to said-girts in axial alignment with the trunnions .thereof to complete the continuity of said body portion of the'conveyer.

8. In an apparatus for treating plastic materials, a foraminous conveyer comprising a plurality of body sections, a girt located at and secured to each end of each section, a pair of side chains disposed respectively adjacent the side edges of the conveyer, each of said side chains having a length substantially equal to the sum or the lengths of the plurality of sections of which the conveyer body is composed, means for securing each girt to each of the respective side chains, and a closure plate disposed between adjacent positioned girts of adjoining sections of the conveyer apron.

9. In an apparatus for treating plastic materials, a loraminous conveyer comprising a plurality of body sections, a girt located at and secured to each end of each section, a trunnion extending from each end of each girt, a pair of side chains disposed respectively adjacent the side edges of the conveyer, each of said side chains having a length substantially equal to the sum of the lengths of the plurality of sections of which the conveyer body is composed, bearings on the respective side chains for receiving the girt trun- 1 nions, and a closure plate disposed between adjacently positioned girts of adjoining sections or the conveyer apron, said plate being pivoted to said girts in axial alignment with the trunnions thereof.

JOSEPH ROBERTS. 

